Swiss to import tariff-free sausages into EU

As of January 1, 2008 Switzerland will be able to
import 1,900 tonnes of sausage meat tariff-free into the EU.

At the same time, the EU-28 will be able to import up to 3,715 tonnes of
their meat specialities without paying tariffs into Switzerland.

The EU Council of Ministers gave its go-ahead to this provisional agreement,
to which the Swiss authorities had already agreed to.

According to a statement by the Swiss ministry for agriculture, the first
consignments will be ready in the next two weeks. Hitherto, preferential
treatment of imports of meat products was only granted through bilateral
agreements with Italy and to a lesser extent with Germany, France and Hungary.
Imports, to-date from these countries, amounted to 2,915 tonnes.

Sausage meatThis move followed in response to pressure
from other EU states calling for equal treatment. Hence, the Swiss profited from
the opportunity to create a tariff-free zone for some of their sausage meat
exports.

This new regulation is limited to the period 2008 and 2009, during which a
formal agreement will be drawn-up.